1971 S&S Medic I Cadillac Ambulance to the rescue

September 23, 2012

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Professional cars have always been somewhat of an anomaly, though hearses, limos and the like have been around for more than 100 years. Originally the works of coachbuilders, with some support from a mainstream auto manufacturer, most were based on a commercial chassis and at least the front bodywork from a donor car.

The Cadillac Fleetwood “Medic I” ambulance of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., doctor/collector Edward Dauer is one such example. Built by Hess & Eisenhardt's Sayers & Scovill (S&S) division in 1971, it is, Dauer says, one of two remaining high-top ambulances built that year.

S&S and its Cincinnati-based parent company were a prime source for Buick- and Cadillac-based professional cars. Accubuilt of Lima, Ohio, which also incorporates Superior Coaches, now owns the brand and builds limos and hearses.

A 1971 Cadillac commercial chassis was the car's basis, and it was powered by a “Q-code” 472-cubic-inch (7.7-liter) General Motors-built V8 engine. Medic I was rated at 365 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. Fuel delivery was via a Rochester 4MV four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor. Power was sent to the differential via the three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. Built when gas cost about 36 cents a gallon, the 7,500-pound car returned about 10 mpg.

The chassis was delivered as a front clip with full running gear, including a lowered set of frame rails that eased access into the rear of the car. According to Professional Car Society vice president Paul Steinberg, all the other parts were boxed and strapped to the frame for delivery to the coachbuilder. In this case, new extended-length doors were stamped and installed using designs and panels from the coachbuilder, but with all of the appropriate switchgear from Cadillac. The windshield was more upright, with a larger expanse of glass that gave the car a fishbowl-like effect.

This example was purchased new from S&S by the Fanwood, N.J., Rescue Squad and delivered in GM's Casablanca yellow. Used until the late 1970s, it was sold to Palm Harbor Fire Rescue in Palm Harbor, Fla., where it resided for a year before being sold to SAS Ambulance Service in Belleair Beach, and was used until the firm went under in 1989. A private owner bought it before selling it to Dauer for use at his Florida Medical Center.

The hospital was eventually sold, but Medic I had a place in the doctor's heart. He sent it for a full restoration in 1999. Receiving a contemporary red-and-white color scheme, it was outfitted with a defibrillator, stretcher, two-way radio, and lights and sirens. It makes the rounds at car shows and holds a place of honor inside Dauer's collection space.

Driving one of the largest Cadillac vehicles on the road requires patience; it takes more than 11 seconds to get to 60 mph. A tall tip-in from the 7.7-liter lets you know that things are under way, and the power steering helps to guide the car with minimal effort. A restricted license plate lets others know this is no on-duty ambulance, but aid may be rendered if Dauer is driving.

Passenger car-based ambulances were short-lived after the early 1970s. The 1973 EMS Systems Act standardized requirements to a new federal ambulance specification that required the use of small trucks, vans and van chassis with modular compartment construction. Passenger car-based ambulances were specifically excluded from 1979 onward. According to Coachbuilt.com, the last passenger car-based ambulance was built in 1978.